Independent Literacy And Numeracy Activities

[Guest]

I'm sure this has been talked about before, but I'm so stuck with ideas for indenpendent activities. We have 2 focused activities and the remainder are independent, and the children (and us) already appear bored with the activities we're putting out. I've made upper and lower case bingo, shape and colour bingo, sequencing cards (yet to try!), they have jigsaws, alphabet traces, playdough, fishing for letters......

 

Having trained in year 2 and 3, I'm finding all of this a taxing, but exciting challenge. I'm no stranger to making resources, but would really appreciate some ideas if anyone could help.

[Guest]

We sometimes use puzzles: we have numbers, alphabet & sequencing (such as getting dressed, or sizes of whatever).

Magnetic letters, numbers & shapes.

Shape match in the sand.

Snap, with colours, numbers, letters or shapes.

Number/letter/shape stencils & tracing.

Cutting/sticking on to the outline of shapes, or numbers & letters.

Sequencing with bead threading.

Number tiles with various small objects for matching the correct number of teddy sorts, for example, to the numeral.

Number tiles for ordering.

[Guest]

I Know exactly what you mean about putting out activites related to numeracy and literacy and the children not using them. I have stopped worrying and seeing that it is self initiated play for the rest of the class i let them do just that, rather then try and get them to use a game or mathematical activity independently, in the knowledge that they will all get adult initiated small group focus on these areas at some point.

[Guest]

Thanks guys. Been on the most fantastic course today, so I'm now bulging with ideas, just got to find the time to make them all.

[Guest]

Any ideas you care to share?

[Guest]

The idea I can't wait to get started on is a finger gym box build up the muscles of those with poor fine motor skills. Inside the box are things like pegs of all sizes, and the children put as many as they can round a paper plate before the sand in the timer runs out, childrens chopsticks to pick up small items and transfer to another bowl, playdough, plastercine, lacing etc.

 

Different ways of doing handwriting practice, alphabet bags (which we already do!), toy bag diary - for different children to take home each day and talk about it the next, puppets, having a big book table as an independent activitiy with finger pointers.

 

This is just a few.....

[Guest]

The course sounds really good, what was it called?

I love the ideas, could you share some more?

[melc]

Someof the activities that my class enjoy are:

Provide paper plates with numbers, dots or numbers and dots on. Let the children use playdough; that they have made!!, to make the correct number of cakes/sweets for that plate.

Collect those plastic inserts that yummy cakes come in: my favourite being viennese whirls!, and let the children make cakes: count how many you have made.

Make a washing line: pegging the numbers on also allows for fine motor control development.

Number cards with string to thread beads on.

Sorry if any of these have already been mentioned but once I got started I was on a roll...

If I think of any more for other areas of MD I'll post them on.

Mel C

[Susan]

different ways of doing handwriting practise??

[Guest]

I recently went on a JOlly Phonics training course and as she teaches each letter she also taught the formation of the letter - start with the usual sky writing etc. then on the back of each of the adapted J P worksheets we copy a large outline of the letter using Sassoon Primary (if you use microsoft word then select FORMAT then FONT and in that window you can select outline (bold works best) and call them rainbow letters

 

we initially use our finger to go over to make it really hot, then cool it down on the tableby drawing the same letter on the table - then once they have got the formation we use (start at the spot) a colour to go over the correct formation - but each colour we do has to be ontop of the previous one - if we use all the colours in the pot then the rainbow goes brown!!!! then we use a pencil to go over the smaller letters at the bottom of the page.

 

Sarah

[Guest]

Have just read what i have written - not sure if this makes sense? will add an example!!! to try and explain what i mean - i have also laminated these sheets so that the children can use drywipe pens in independent activities

 

Sarah

a___a___a.doc

Edited November 9, 2005 by Sarah H

[Susan]

Thanks Sarah, never realised you could do that!

[Guest]

Thank you Sarah-like Susan I didn't know you could do that in word. I am busily making up some activities to use!

Linda

[Guest]

I don't know how i discovered it! but it is great tool

 

I use it for everything from Name cards to letter formation drywipe activities.

 

GLad to teach you something new

 

Sarah

[Guest]

Thanks going to have a look now but I have never seen a school showing children how to write a letter a in that way.

[Jackie A.]

I do something similar in Word, but use Wordart. On your blank page click "insert", then select picture, then WordArt. If you select the first box, it gives you outline letters of whatever you type in. You select your font and type in what you need, then "OK". You can then make the text bigger/smaller/wider, etc. I have also laminated letters/numbers done in this way for the children to trace over, cover with "sausages" of playdough, or even drive a mini car over to get the direction of the letter.

 

You can also colour the text so that you can use it for titles for displays by using the toolbox that pops up with the your text. I used to sit and cut out letters for displays, but now use word art or another package I have called "print artist" which allows you to make banners.

 

Jackie

[Guest]

Thanks Jackie A and Sarah H. Two new things for me to try out. I've been hand-drawing 'rainbow letters' onto paper - time consuming and not very precise..... so this should be a time saver

 

Harricroft

[Guest]

Hi.

Posted this question somewhere else but just seen that people are talking about something similar here!

I was wondering if anyone had any other ideas for independent activities for doing letter formation. Reception have no support! Most fun things are not workable ie foam etc

 

Thanks

[Guest]

Hi.

Posted this question somewhere else but just seen that people are talking about something similar here!

I was wondering if anyone had any other ideas for independent activities for doing letter formation. Reception have no support! Most fun things are not workable ie foam etc

 

Thanks

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Have you tried those magnetic boards and pens - a bit like etch a sketch?

Individual white boards and pens are very popular too.

Dried rice or sand in trays are more manageable than shaving foam for independent use, you just need to show the children what to do so they don't shake the trays about too much and cover the floor with the contents! Of course, if you put them outside it's not such a problem